Armenian community of Estonia: a look into the future

“We have a Sunday school and folk culture groups. We do our best for our children to know the native tongue and traditions,” Davidyants says.

The head of the Armenian religious community of Estonia, Artem Davidyants, moved to Tallinn in 1970s. There were almost no Armenians living in the city at that time, while the majority of the local population were Orthodox and spoke Russian.

March 29, 2014

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian Apostolic Church in Estonia is subordinate to New Nakhijevan and the Russian dioceses.

“The church unites the Armenian community,” Davidyants says. “Presently, there are about 2000 Armenians in the country, who founded the Union of Armenians of Estonia consisting of several organizations focused on music, sports or dances. Our religious community is 20 years old. We have a Sunday school and folk culture groups. We do our best for our children to know the native tongue and traditions.”

For promotion of the Armenian language and culture, Davidyants received a state award.

He is also researching the life of famed Russian writer Sergei Dovlatov, who lived and worked in Tallinn from 1972 to 1975. Estonians remember and admire Dovlatov up till now. In 2003, a memorial plate was installed on the wall of the house, where he lived for three years. In August 2011, Tallinn hosted a literature festival to honor the 70th birth anniversary of the writer.

And, of course, the story about Armenians in Estonia would be incomplete without a mention about the classic of Armenian literature, Khachatur Abovyan, who studied at University of Tartu and climbed Mt. Ararat together with professor Friedrich Parrot.

In December 2011, Tartu and Tallinn hosted a screening of documentary “Journey to Ararat” directed by Riho Västrik. The film shows a group of Estonians representatives of other countries, who in October 2009 ascended the biblical mount, 180 years after Abovyan and Parrot did it.

On March 8, 2004, six Armenian pilots were detained in a small but oil-rich African country Equatorial Guinea. The crew members of AN-12 cargo jet were accused of plotting coup d’état to overthrow President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.